Originally published September 29 2005
Swiss doctor brings traditional Chinese medicine to Europe
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
As alternative medicine slowly gains popularity across the world, one Swiss doctor trained in traditional Chinese medicine is working to ease his patients into ancient remedies that sound new and strange to many Westerners, like the use of scorpions to treat rheumatism.
Dr Eduard Klarer's practice, in the Swiss mountain town of St Moritz, is modern, minimalist and pristine.
In Zhengzhou city of China's Henan Province, Klarer studied intensively for three years at the Henan College of Chinese Medicine.
Under the special tutelage of Dr Si Fuchun, he completed courses in both herbology and acupuncture, and is now a fully qualified practitioner of TCM.
Hard work and time, however, proved Klarer's skill, and eventually Chinese patients were asking for him.
Here in China, TCM pharmacies are stuffed with strange fungi, dried geckos and seahorses, but as yet, Klarer cannot prescribe these; Swiss patients would refuse to take them.
What he gives to his patients are ingredients in granulated form, that are completely unidentifiable.
Klarer related how this can provoke a violent reaction when people aren't used to it: "Once, a lady I treated with guasha said that her husband hadn't spoken to her for two days after the treatment.
Despite the obstacles, demand for TCM in Switzerland is rising, as more and more Swiss consider it as a serious alternative to Western medicine.
Learning the concepts of Chinese medicine gradually came to change the understanding of the world that he had learned from life and study in Europe.
The balance Klarer refers to is that between yin and yang, the omnipresent opposing but complementary forces of ancient Chinese philosophy, and a pivotal concept of Chinese medicine.
Many Swiss are now choosing to learn it at home, through weekend or correspondence courses, and the level of proficiency they can reach by doing this is not high.
According to the Swiss Professional Organisation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SPOTCM), there are currently around 550 qualified practitioners of Chinese Medicine in Switzerland, and around 500 more in training, and this is in a country of 7.5 million people.
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